Two crashes which took place at the same spot on the A5 less than a week apart have caused major travel misery for commuters in Hinckley.

Three cars collided between Dodwells roundabout and Nutts Lane on Wednesday February 9 just before 7am.

The major road was blocked off by the police and drivers found themselves stuck in grid-locked traffic as they tried to make their way to work.

Traffic was at a standstill on Coventry Road between 8am and 9am and was made worse by Severn Trent roadworks.

Commuters also faced problems along Rugby Road and Trinity Lane.

None of the drivers were seriously hurt in the crash but two were taken to the George Eliot Hospital as a precaution.

It was a similar situation last Thursday when a lorry overturned just after midnight at the railway bridge near Nutts Lane.

Leicestershire police were again forced to close the road in both directions, with traffic being diverted through Hinckley.

By the time rush hour hit, cars were queueing all the way back to the Nuneaton end of the Long Shoot.

Delays of half an hour or more also affected drivers as the section of the A5 from the Dodwells roundabout up to the M69 roundabout was shut while engineers checked to see if there was any structural damage to the bridge.

One commuter described the situation on Coventry Road as “nuts”.

He said: “All the traffic was being bottle-necked up Coventry Road, because of the A5 crash.

“It was very busy and it added ages to the usual daily journey. It was nuts.”

The A5 did not re-open until 11am. A spokesman from Leicestershire Constabulary said that a driver had been reported for motoring offences.